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33
Jared
A WEELLATER
My downcast eyeswere fixed on the threatening papers splayed before me. My soon to be ex-wife had just entered my lawyer’s conference room before ceremoniously situating herself right across from where I sat as her bevy set of hotshot lawyers followed hertrail.
“Jared, it good to see you,” said the woman whom I chose to ignorecompletely.
My jaw locked. My will unbending. My mood menacing. Every inch of me wound tightly. My miserable self wasn’t ready to battle and hammer this negotiation to my benefit. When I had vowed to give her everything she wanted, no holds barred, I had meant every word spoken out of mybitterlips.
In the background, I was faintly aware both opposing parties began to list theirconditions.
When one of Gisele’s blasted lawyers tried to address me, I granted him the same courtesy as I had with his client, which briefly shuthimup.
With one glance upon my menacing demeanor, one didn’t have to guess how much I loathed being here. Had it not been for my team of lawyers ceaselessly insisting my forlorn appearance was vital to sit here, I would not be. They had successfully argued since there was so much wealth and assets involved, and they feared something would go amiss. And as they irately stated for the umpteenth time, they simply needed this last leg of negotiations to wrap up so we could proceed as effectively as efficiently as possible. So, I tuned out what both of our lawyers, wishing I were anywhere elsebuthere.
There was no mistaking that my top lawyer, Mr. Cologne, wanted to secure most, if not all, of my wealth. I’d been his client for years, and he seemed quite territorial when protecting my assets. He boldly mentioned his adverse opinion when I reminded him about prenuptial agreements. As much as I despised to be proved wrong, he had every right to voice his unabashed view of the arrangement. Therefore, here we were, proceeding asscheduled.
“Lastly, Miss Weber refuses to sign her board member privilege to exclusively vote for Mr. St. James in the foreseeable future due to…the obvious impendingcircumstances.”
Cologne cleared histhroat.
“Mr. St. James, will you contest her condition?” My esteemed lawyer leaned close to me, irritation and agitation bouncing offofhim.
Without glancing at him, I remained stoic. Unperturbed. “Goahead.”
Cologne wasn’t having it. The fifty-five-year-old man pulled himself closer to me, to the point where his stale coffee breath hit my senses, much to my disgust. “Sir, with all due respect, snap the fuck out of it! This is your life—your bread and butter. You’ve worked you fucking ass off for this company. You can’t honestly just fucking hand it all to her. Peter wouldn’t approve of this, and you know it!” He furiously hissed, sweating profusely as his pallor turned as red as bright a plumptomato.
Clearing my throat, I raised my eyes to look at the woman sitting across from me. It caught her off guard. “If Gisele wishes to vote me out of her father’s company, that’s her right. Like I stated before, just give the woman what she needs, and let’s be done with it. I have better things to do than deal with petty squabbles. I’m quite ready to sign off my life’s work if it means I get to walk out of here in the nextminute.”
The entire room ceased, all eyes trainedonme.
“What will you do?This is your life’s work!” Cologne sure seemed to look like he was about to drop dead anysecondnow.
“I’m to return home. I’ve already bought land. So, no need to fret for me.” I had anticipated this. Gisele was on a vengeful path, and she would hit where it hurt me the most. But I was done playing her games. If she wanted to vote in David Berg, then she could have at it. She knew what her father wanted; she didn’t need to be remindedofthat.
“Gentlemen, I need a moment to speak to Mr. St. James.” Gisele unwaveringly pierced me with her stormy crystal-like eyes. “Now!” she bellowed, her voice echoing within the room before the scrambling men scattered and dissipated, exiting the heavy double oak doors. There was no mistaking that from the men’s tense forms, they were quite relieved to be temporarilydismissed.
Apathetic, my blank stare didn’t flicker away from her as the doors shut. With just her and me boldly glaring at each other, I mused how long it would take for her to blow her gasket. Noting the tumultuous blistering way she was gazing at me, I’d give her a minute, maybetwo,tops.
Severe cerulean blues drilling into her, I daringly arched my brow as if to taunt her, as if to goad her to break the continuing battle of silence—of prides, of wills—she and I wereembroiledin.
“You’re planning on leaving?”she shrieked as she placed her palms on the polished table, pushing up to her fullheight.
She wore a cream suit but had sacrificed any use of brassiere. A long gold chain grazed the valley of her breasts and torso. The fitted skirt skimmed her figure. If she was aiming for demure and pristine, the woman had miserably failed. Her arse looked obscene from this angle. One didn’t have to wonder at the type of view it gave from behind. She was beautiful, and she knew it, too. The woman had found her purpose, merely using her beauty, her sexuality as a weapon to any man. More importantly, to the man she wished to erase from her life. There was no trace of softness in her. She was just as I anticipated—ever so calculating, heady with the idea of pulling one overonme.
“Have you gonedeaf,too?”
My jaw locked. Her shrilling and hollering wouldn’t get her anywhere. Engaging her was out of the question. Gisele had sashayed in here with all the intentions of a fight. Her claws were out. She craved conflict, to draw blood, to punish me in any way possible. Giving in would merely fuel the flames, and Christ, the woman was scorching. She was a blazing inferno. She salivated for a fight, and little old me wasn’t going to grantherone.
“Fuckinganswerme!”
A week and she was about to come apart at her hinges. In another week, she’d continue her scathing pilgrimage of trying to hurt me. The inner workings of her loathsome mind were predictable. She didn’t know how to handle it, so she lashed out. No words, no actions could ever fix the damage I had caused her. And for that, I’d foreverregretit.
Dragging my sight away from her, I impassively got up from my chair and strode towards the glass wall, frowning as I stared out at the stunning San Francisco afternoon skyline before me. Guilt, bitterness, anger, frustration blocked my view from appreciating the beauty. “Fighting is pointless when there’s nothing else to fight about. I vowed to give you whatever you wanted, and I have—I am. Let’s leave it on that note,Gisele.”
“You’re going back to Australia. Is it because you’re afraid you’ll run into me if you stayed around town with Rose and your new baby in tow?” she disdainfully spat.“She’s pregnant, isn’t she? She’s carrying your child!”her hateful tirade continued. “Oh, I get it!” She snapped her fingers, as if something brilliant had just occurred to her. “You aren’t fighting me because your dead wife’s lookalike is pregnant with your baby, and you plan to marry her.Am I right or am I damn,right?”
